We aim to reveal Jesus and make Him Known
This means following Jesus in our own lives and seeking to bring the same growth, healing, and justice to our communities, friends, and families.
We Believe
In God the Father
We believe in God as eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God created and sustains the universe. The eternal purpose of God the Father is to create a people who will bring glory to God forever. God alone is worthy of worship.
In God the Son
We believe that God became human in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to restore the world because humans have rejected God in disobedience. Jesus taught and modeled the way of God’s kingdom. He died on the cross, making it possible for us to accept a renewed relationship with God. He rose from the dead, broke the power of sin and death, and frees us to live in obedience to God’s will.
In God the Spirit
We believe that God the Holy Spirit invites all people to be reconciled with God and to join the global family of faith. Believers confess their faith, are baptized, and join in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and guided by the Bible, members of the church seek to live as followers of Christ and invite others to experience this new life.
In an Everlasting Kingdom
As Christians, we look forward to the day when God will once again send Jesus to bring all things under God’s eternal rule.
Church Leadership
Dan Chook Reid
Church founder and pastor
Dan is married to Melody and is the father to two growing boys. They live downtown in the Glebe and love community engagement and exploring the city on their bicycles.
Dan grew up in Niagara and first moved to Ottawa to restart the ministry at uOttawa with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. After serving at University of Ottawa for four years, Dan joined the Mennonite Brethren denomination through a church plant called the Journey.
Dan joined the Gathering team in January of 2018 and served as a Church Planting Apprentice. Dan is now planting Bytown Community Church, supported by The Gathering, in his neighbourhood.
Click here to hear more of Dan's story.
Our Partners
We are members of a denomination called the Mennonite Brethren. You’ll hear us call them “MB” for short.
We are members of a denomination called the Mennonite Brethren. You’ll hear us call them “MB” for short. Mennonite and Brethren are tricky words. Mennonite makes us think of very conservative people who don’t own cars or cell phones and Brethren sounds like a group that won’t let their women have a voice. These ideas are not true of the MBs. We are a different kind of Anabaptist denomination. We want to be welcoming of people of all ethnicities, backgrounds and church heritages.
We are a part of a denomination because it is important to be a part of a larger church family. We receive spiritual accountability as well as having the opportunity to be involved in a bigger story. The MB churches are all joined together by a shared statement of faith.
Every church has a story, Bytown Community Church exists only because of the generosity and care of our big sister, The Gathering.
Every church has a story, Bytown Community Church exists only because of the generosity and care of our big sister, The Gathering.
She took in our planters and created a home for them when Bytown was only a dream.
The Gathering is an MB congregation located in Riverside South that seeks to reach their neighbourhood with the love of Jesus Christ. The Gathering provides legal and organizational covering for Bytown Community Church. Dan Chook Reid, our planter, currently is supervised by Jeff Jantzi, the lead pastor of The Gathering and by their board.
C2C Collective exists to be a catalyst for church planting and multiplication. The movement is built on a solid trust and dependence upon the Spirit of God.
C2C Collective exists to be a catalyst for church planting and multiplication. The movement is built on a solid trust and dependence upon the Spirit of God.
Dan and Melody Chook Reid were assessed by C2C in 2018 and were approved as church planters. C2C Collective has provided coaching, training and support over the past few years as Bytown Community Church has begun to take shape. We are grateful for their partnership and resources.
Bytown Community Church exists to help adults and children experience wholeness in Jesus Christ that propels them to share and live by their faith in their families, workplaces and neighbourhoods.